{"id":68739,"date":"2022-12-07T21:14:15","date_gmt":"2022-12-07T21:14:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/?post_type=articles&p=68739"},"modified":"2022-12-09T16:48:14","modified_gmt":"2022-12-09T16:48:14","slug":"david-hecht-lawyer-to-stars-game-changers","status":"publish","type":"articles","link":"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/articles\/david-hecht-lawyer-to-stars-game-changers\/","title":{"rendered":"David Hecht Is Making A Name For Himself By Representing Impressive Clients"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Every issue,\u00a0<\/strong><\/em>GRAZIA USA<\/strong> highlights Game Changers, who inspire, educate, and celebrate individuality, beauty, and style. Meet David Hecht<\/strong>, the \u201cBiglaw\u201d veteran who has taken his David v. Goliath approach to his eponymous law firm where he\u2019s fighting \u2014 successfully \u2014 for creatives.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

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Litigation is enough to strike fear in the hearts of defendants and plaintiffs alike. However, in this complex world, beset with an intellectual property arms race across technology, media, and other creative industries, the need to use the law to safeguard such interests is greater than ever before \u2014 and for many, you\u2019d be surprised what your rights may include.<\/p>\n

In the past few years, I have represented The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air<\/em> star Alfonso Ribeiro<\/strong>, along with choreographer Kyle Hanagami<\/strong>, saxophonist Leo P<\/strong>, dancer and social media personality Russell \u201cBackpack Kid\u201d Horning<\/strong>, and rappers 2 Milly<\/strong> and Blocboy JB<\/strong>, among others. My representation was not for the typical celebrity legal fare. It was for something far more important: their stock-in-trade. My clients claimed the games developer, Epic Games, copied and sold their dance moves within its massively popular battle royale title \u201cFortnite\u201d without permission or compensation.<\/p>\n

While some of my clients were successful in receiving fair and reasonable compensation \u2014 and proper recognition \u2014 for their misappropriated likenesses and infringed works, others are still fighting. This is in large part the raison d\u2019etre for my law firm, Hecht Partners LLP<\/a>, which goes toe-to-toe each day with adversaries, like Epic Games, who in most cases, are represented by some of the most respected counsel in the country. While we frequently achieve significant wins in our cases, these results are not the sole driving force for our firm. We hope to spread awareness that creatives and inventors \u2014 large, small and in all forms \u2014 need not be afraid to secure rights to their intellectual property and enforce it against corporate behemoths.<\/p>\n

Copyrighting movement is about putting the power back in the artist\u2019s hands. We set a historic precedent when we registered the choreography to \u201cSingle Ladies \u2013 Put a Ring On It\u201d on behalf of another firm client, JaQuel Knight<\/strong>, and we are ready, willing and able to assist the next generation of creatives (and inventors) to afford them same resources and representation to survive and thrive. Hecht Partners LLP also has significant experience in high-tech cases, which typically involve complex technologies. Nearly every case we take on is a David vs. Goliath battle, and we are often on the offense. These days, the defense bar really digs in their heels, even when a case is weak \u2013 which makes our job even more difficult. But we are relentless.<\/p>\n

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I began my career at some of the largest law firms in the world, known as \u201cBiglaw.\u201d I fought in the \u201csmartphone patent wars\u201d when I practiced at the business litigation powerhouse, Quinn Emanuel. But I was eager to switch to the plaintiff \u2019s side and bring the kind of cases I typically found myself defending against at Biglaw. So, I decided to form my own firm and organize things quite differently than the large firms where I cut my teeth as a young lawyer.<\/p>\n

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I was bitten by the entrepreneurship bug long before I went to law school; when I was a broke college student, I ran a little computer resale business out of my dorm room. Even as I worked 3000+ hours as an associate at Biglaw, I spent whatever free time I had focused on real estate investment. I even purchased an event space in Manhattan, with the goal of having a dazzling place in the city to host events and potentially drum up business.<\/p>\n

So, I suppose it was inevitable that I would eventually start my own law firm. Hecht Partners LLP was founded in 2020 and boasts impressive roster of mostly ex-Biglaw attorneys. The firm is honored to represent plaintiffs ranging from genocide victims to tech startups. We love our clients, and our clients love the firm: for example, since 2020, clients have consistently recommended me for inclusion in the \u201cPatent 1000\u201d as one of the leading patents lawyers in the world. I have also been listed as a \u201cBillboard Top Music Lawyer\u201d in connection with my work for choreographers.<\/p>\n

The goal of every lawyer at the firm is to zealously advocate for and assist our clients in achieving, and typically exceeding, their objectives. We litigate to win \u2014 our fees are never the main objective.<\/p>\n

I turned 40 in November, but rather than reflecting on the past, I\u2019m focused on the future. My goal is to ensure the firm remains on very secure footing so we can ensure a lasting legacy. Part of that legacy is to provide access to justice for new potential clients.<\/p>\n

\u2014 As told to Jaclyn Roth<\/em><\/p>\n

Read GRAZIA USA\u2019s Winter issue featuring cover star Lizzy Caplan:<\/p>\n

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